Reigate School Review 2026: High expectations, standout conduct, and strong GCSE progress

A school can be academically ambitious and still feel genuinely inclusive. That balance sits near the centre of Reigate School’s identity, shaped by clearly stated values and a pastoral model that is repeatedly referenced in formal reporting. The current headteacher, Mr Matthew Alexander, took up post in September 2021, and leadership has kept a close focus on behaviour, personal development, and Year 7 transition.

Reigate School is a state secondary serving students aged 11 to 16, with no tuition fees. For families comparing local options, the key headline is that GCSE outcomes are strong in England terms, and the school’s progress measures indicate students typically make above-average progress from their starting points (see Results). The practical reality is competition for places, recent admissions data show the school is oversubscribed.

The school’s value set is explicit and easy to remember: Kindness, Respect, Friendship, Curiosity and Resilience. The important point is how these values are used, not just that they exist. External reporting describes them as being realised day to day, alongside warm staff-student relationships and a strong sense that students are proud to belong here. For parents, the implication is a school experience that is structured and expectations-led, without relying on harshness or constant punitive escalation.

The house system is also used as a practical tool for belonging and leadership, rather than a decorative tradition. Students are sorted into Attenborough, Curie, Parks and Turing, with opportunities for student leadership roles linked to house life. This matters because it creates a second “home base” inside a large secondary, particularly helpful for students who need a smaller identity group to settle socially.

Historically, the school’s modern identity sits on top of an older local story. In Reigate’s town history record, Reigate School is described as opening as Woodhatch County Secondary School in September 1958, later becoming co-educational. That context does not define the current school, but it explains why many local families have multi-generational connections to the area and to the school’s evolution.

On FindMySchool’s GCSE measures, the school sits above England average, placing it comfortably within the top quarter of secondary schools in England for GCSE outcomes (top 25%). Ranked 863rd in England and 3rd in Reigate for GCSE outcomes, this is a strong local position (FindMySchool ranking based on official data).

In the most recent published GCSE dataset used here, the Attainment 8 score is 52.9. Progress 8 is 0.38, which indicates students typically achieve higher outcomes than similar students nationally, based on prior attainment. EBacc attainment at grade 5+ is recorded as 36.4, and EBacc average point score is 4.89.

The best way to use these figures as a parent is comparative. If you are shortlisting across Surrey schools, the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool can help you view this profile side by side with nearby options using the same measures, rather than switching between inconsistent league-table headlines.

The curriculum is intentionally broad at Key Stage 3, with time protected for foundation subjects such as geography, history, French, Spanish, religious education, physical education, design technology, drama, dance, music, computing and food. The implication is that students are not prematurely narrowed into a “GCSE only” experience, which can be particularly important for children who develop later or who need time to discover strengths outside the core.

At Key Stage 4, the structure is clear. Students continue with English, mathematics, science, physical education and Life Skills, alongside humanities and a modern foreign language route that aims for most students to continue languages through to the end of Key Stage 4. That approach signals ambition and breadth, but it also creates a realistic question for families: is your child likely to benefit from continuing a language, or would they be better served by a different balance? This is where the school’s quality of teaching and ability to match provision to need becomes critical.

External reporting is positive about subject knowledge and lesson climate, and it also identifies a specific improvement priority: ensuring teaching is consistently adapted so that all students, particularly the most disadvantaged, can access learning without gaps opening up. In parallel, the school has a visible focus on literacy, including identifying students who struggle with reading confidence and putting rapid support in place, while recognising that newer whole-school reading strategies take time to embed.

Because the school is 11 to 16, “next steps” is about post-16 choices rather than sixth form outcomes on site. The school points students towards progression routes to Reigate College or East Surrey College, and also notes that students progress to other colleges and sixth forms depending on course fit and pathway.

The practical implication for parents is planning earlier than you might expect. The strongest outcomes at 16 are not only about GCSE grades, but about choosing the right post-16 setting and subject combination. A school that normalises apprenticeships, T Levels and college pathways alongside A-level routes gives students a broader set of credible options, particularly for those whose strengths are practical, technical, or applied.

Reigate School’s admission authority is Greensand Multi-Academy Trust, with applications for Year 7 made through Surrey’s coordinated admissions process. For September 2026 entry, the Published Admission Number is 255 and the application deadline is Friday 31 October 2025.

Oversubscription criteria are clearly set out, including priority groups (for example, looked-after and previously looked-after children, exceptional social or medical need, children of staff, siblings, catchment, then other children). Where a category is oversubscribed, distance to the school gate is used as the tie-break. The school does not publish a “last distance offered” figure here, so families should not assume that living nearby will be enough in a high-demand year. Parents can use the FindMySchool Map Search to check approximate distance from home to the school gates, then treat this as guidance rather than certainty.

Open events matter because they allow you to test fit. The school states it holds an Open Evening annually, with the next Open Evening scheduled for October 2026. It also runs termly Open Door events with tours led by a senior leader, and the next tours are scheduled for Monday 26 January to Friday 30 January 2026, with tours starting at 9.10am and 10.10am; places are limited and must be booked in advance.

Strong pastoral care is not just a soft “nice to have” in a large comprehensive, it often determines whether a child will actually thrive academically. Here, formal reporting highlights very high-quality pastoral care, clear behaviour expectations, and calm conduct in lessons and around the site.

The personal development programme is also treated as a core element rather than an add-on. Life Skills is singled out as a particularly effective mechanism for helping students understand topics such as healthy relationships and consent, alongside wider character education and careers guidance. For parents, the implication is a school that tries to keep students safe and informed in the real issues they face, not just focused on exams.

A good enrichment programme is specific and regular, not just a list of occasional events. The school publishes termly activity schedules, which is useful because it shows what is actually running, not what could run in theory. In the 2024 to 2025 Autumn term, the programme included, among other options, Orchestra, Choir, Tech Club, Book Club, Chess Club, Reigate Pride, a Rock and Pop Band Workshop, and Table Top Games.

This breadth has two implications. First, students who need a “hook” beyond academic work can often find a route into school life through a club that matches their identity, whether that is music, STEM, or student community groups. Second, clubs provide informal leadership and confidence-building that can be particularly valuable for quieter students, or for those rebuilding confidence after a difficult primary experience.

The house system links into this wider life by providing structured leadership roles and events. The result is that extracurricular participation can translate into responsibility, not just attendance.

The published school day runs from Registration at 8.45am to 9.05am through to Period 5 ending at 3pm, with break at 11.05am and lunch from 12.25pm to 1pm. The school does not describe wraparound care as a core offer (which is common for secondary), so families who need early drop-off or late pick-up should confirm current arrangements directly.

For travel context, a partner training page describes the site as just off the A217 south of the M25, and a short distance from Redhill and Earlswood stations on the London to Brighton line. In practice, local bus routes and student travel patterns vary by year group and timetable, so it is worth trialling the commute at the right time of day if your child will travel independently.

• Competition for places. Recent admissions data show the school is oversubscribed. For families moving house, treat proximity as helpful but not decisive, and focus on understanding catchment and distance tie-break rules.

• Languages through to Key Stage 4. The curriculum aim is for most students to continue a modern foreign language to GCSE level. This suits many students well, but it can feel demanding for some, particularly if literacy needs are still emerging.

• Consistency of adaptive teaching. The improvement priorities highlight that lesson adaptation is not always consistently strong for all learners, and that reading initiatives are still being embedded. Families with children who need careful scaffolding should probe how support works subject by subject.

• No sixth form on site. The school does not provide education beyond 16, so post-16 planning is part of the Reigate School journey, not an optional extra.

Reigate School combines strong GCSE outcomes with an approach that gives equal weight to conduct, inclusion, and personal development. The behaviour profile and pastoral emphasis make it a compelling option for families who want a calm learning climate and a broad curriculum, alongside a visible extracurricular programme that offers multiple ways to belong. Best suited to students who will benefit from clear expectations and a structured community, and to families prepared to engage early with admissions and post-16 planning.